A choice of conscience
A choice of conscience

Summary/Abstract: In the postcold-war period, the transition to democracy is occurring dramatically in many countries. The important question now being debated is what length of time this transition should take. If the transition begins violently, as it has in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it puts an additional impediment in the process. The nature of that impediment will need to be understood and overcome by the governed-the people, and the governors-the leaders selected through elections. An experiment in obedience to authority and studies on conformity to peer pressure conducted in the United States demonstrates that situational pressures can dramatically influence human behavior-an observation that may have relevance to Bosnia today. The experiences of obedience to authority during conflict periods are also relevant to decisions taken to achieve solutions to today's crisis. The challenge to Bosnia's citizens is how to judge the degree to which obedience is the choice their society should make or whether other options exist. The challenge to Bosnia's leaders is how to evolve non-coercive methods to engage the population in governance.

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